Champagne is synonymous worldwide with happiness and celebration.  When saluting one of the biggest events in your life, it seems fitting that you may choose this effervescent liquid gold to play a key role in your day. A glass might only make a brief appearance to toast you – the newlyweds – or it could theme your entire day. Ultimately, nothing really says congratulations like popping the cork on a bottle of bubbles.

Whether you intend to display it, drink it, mix it into heavenly cocktails, have fun with it or spray it we believe there is always a place for champagne at a wedding.  Here at Eleven Eighty we love to turn the unexpected on its head.  Our venue is popular with couples who like to do things their way.  It’s anything but ordinary. So when our couples include champagne in their big day, they like to do it a little differently! Here are “10 Charming Ways To Include Champagne In Your Wedding Day”… for The Champagne Issue.

Images & Header Image: Lea & Lens Photography

1. Include champagne (a bottle or glass!) in your photo shoot!

A vintage wedding dress, boots, velvet armoire, and champagne.  Need we say more? What makes these photos is the contrast and the unexpected.  The vintage lace on the dress against the rich vintage velvet couch. The romantic full body of the skirt against the surprise package of the boots. No more sore feet in uncomfortable wedding shoes ruining your day – all rules are out of the window. Props in your wedding photos is a fun way to showcase what you love, and a bottle of champagne brings a celebratory element to your wedding portraits.

Images: Red Berry Photography

2. Vintage Mirrors & Chamapgne Glasses

This element turns a simple tray of bubbles into a luxurious gatsby-esque extravaganza! There are vintage mirrors everywhere to play with at Eleven Eighty, but if you would like to recreate this elegant method of serving your bubbles in your own venue, check out Facebook marketplace for vintage mirrors. You can pick up some beautiful items at great prices. We love the gold effect against the colour of the champagne. Play around with different shapes and trims – the more eclectic the mix the better.

Images: Lea & Lens Photography

3. Set your own rules on your big day!

Don’t be afraid to be quirky and fun! Think outside the box and be true to you. Just because you haven’t seen it done before, doesn’t mean it can’t be. A bottle of champagne or a flute or saucer filled with this delicious liquid can be used in your photos, as part of your ceremony, in first look photos. When you start thinking about what you’d truly love to include in your wedding, the sky is the limit.

And ok… so you do need a venue with an outdoor bath to recreate the below photo!

Image: Red Berry Photography

4. A champagne tower at your wedding is a wonderful spectacle!

If you want something truly memorable, then serving your bubbly in this extravagant way is the way to go. It makes for an amazing experience and an incredible photo opportunity. The classic champagne tower is always a winner and never fails to produce a memorable photo.  Make sure you chat with your photographer and bar team prior to the big day about how to create this moment. You can easily recreate this yourself, but in our experience, we like to leave it to the experts.  The Henry Clive Bar crew will happily ensure that this theatrical part of your day goes off without a hitch (or broken glass!), and they are just one of many teams who are able to put together this epic display for your day!

Images: Lea & Lens Photography / Setup: Henry Clive Caravan Bar

5. Don’t hide your bubbles away in the fridge!

There is literally nothing we won’t use to display and chill our bubbles. Think all things vintage:  wheelbarrows, stone flower pots, kids’ garden trolleys, antique metal wash tubs, galvansized tubs, and wooden flower boxes.  If it’s meant to hold something, it can be used to present your champagne.  We particularly love anything on wheels as it can be moved around to your guests.

Images: Lea & Lens Photography

6. A vintage outdoor bath filled with ice and champagne!

Top tip: If you are going to display your bubbles in a bath, you do not need to go to the expense of filling it full of ice.  Pack out the bottom half of the bath with other materials such as sacks, boxes, and anything you have to hand, and then cover the packing with a 2-inch layer of ice.  It gives the impression that the whole bath is filled with ice without the expense. We have gone with one brand of champagne in these images for a consistent and classy feel.  A more relaxed and eclectic vibe can be achieved by using a variety of brands, bottles, and colours.

Also, the wedding party are not the only ones that need flowers at a wedding. Flowers and champagne – simplicity at its best. For this, we have gone with a minimalist look with a few flower heads scattered through the ice.  However, you can go for a sea of colour and completely cover the ice with flowers.  The end result is over the top, fabulous and decadent.

Images: Lea & Lens Photography

7. Everyone should get to spray an expensive bottle of champagne once in their life.

A touch excessive, whimsical, and most definitely a crowd-pleaser. If you have never sprayed a bottle of champagne before, we suggest having a practice run before the big day so that you know what you are doing. Give yourself and the guests plenty of space and give your photographer the heads up in advance if this is a shot you want to capture! The end result is joyous & brilliant!

Image: Lea & Lens Photography

8. Think about your venue and what themes can work back with champagne styling.

Do you have a theme? This touch of fun in the below image incorporates the school historical element of our venue. Think about your venue and what works. Country wedding? How about substituting a cowbell for the school bell? With Eleven Eighty’s heritage vibe and our beautiful old-school hall, couples have loved incorporating our old school bell into their champagne theme. Talk to your venue to see if they can suggest any unique styling elements that will work back with your theme, as this can save you time & money trying to recreate looks that already exist.

Image: Lea & Lens Photography

9. Use Champagne bottles as part of your styling. Simple, but perfect.

Go for consistency and quantity to make a real impact. We swapped out our traditional gin offering for this wedding featured below and dressed our beautiful bar from head to toe in vintage champagne bottles. The effect was stunning. If you don’t have a permanent bar to dress at your venue, you can create this look by placing an old bookcase/s behind a temporary bar or table and dressing with champagne glasses and bottles.  For a real impact, take this further and dress the back of the bookcases with greenery and add some gold photo frames, flowers, and candles to the shelves.

Images: Lea & Lens Photography

10. Hire the people who know their stuff when it comes to champagne – and all celebratory beverages!

A skilled bartender at your wedding will be welcomed by your guests! Skilled bar crew will be able to advise you on your drinks package, as well as know all about the drinks they’re serving. If your guests have any questions or want any extra knowledge about their beverages (for example, any interesting facts about champagne!), knowledgeable bar staff will be able to provide that added touch of interest.

Top tip:  Offering your guests cocktails slows the drinking down. You want your guests to have a good time but too much of a good time can ruin the chic event you had planned. You only need to offer 2-3 choices of cocktails. And – well-made cocktails add an element of class and differentiate your event.

Images: Lea & Lens Photography / Setup: Henry Clive Caravan Bar

Eleven Eighty is a romantically restored haven of curate spaces and vintage treasures and nothing fits more perfectly with a classic, romantic, vintage wedding than champagne. Work with your venue to create your dream champagne themed wedding day to celebrate your love!

About Eleven Eighty: Eleven Eighty is unconventional – a tapestry of gorgeous historic charm that we’ve painstakingly restored and revived so it can be enjoyed for many decades to come by the local community and beyond. The Old School Hall lives and breathes as a rustic and romantic dining and event space, and the heritage-listed School Masters House is a unique accommodation experience. The historic 20th-century train carriage has been restored to become a textural wonderland and intimate dining or get-together space for those staying on site. The picturesque Courtyard and lawn are divine to soak up the surrounding nature. Eleven Eighty is truly a magical space to savour the moment and honour the occasion.